A group of university students on Monday asked the Central Administrative Court to annul the Feb 8 general election, claiming that the barcodes and QR codes on ballot papers could illegally expose voters' choices.
Activist students representing the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration went to the court on Chaeng Watthana Road, Bangkok, to file their complaint against the Election Commission’s (EC) organisation of the election.
Teerapat Supitakpaiboon, a coordinator, said the Feb 8 ballots bore barcodes and QR codes that could be used to check the identity of a voter, which would be a violation of the voting secrecy required by the constitution.
The group also asked the court to stop the EC from officially announcing the results of the election and to order the commission to organise a fresh poll, without any codes on ballot papers.
The group sought urgent consideration of the case to protect the public interest.
A heated debate has erupted online over barcodes and QR codes printed on election ballots, with voters questioning whether they could be used to trace who voted for whom, potentially violating constitutional guarantees of ballot secrecy.
The EC earlier defended the use of barcodes and QR codes on ballot papers, saying the features were lawful security measures used to combat forgery, manage ballot stocks and prevent mismatches between voter numbers and ballots used.
The Bhumjaithai Party of caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul won the Feb 8 general election. It is awaiting the EC's announcement of the official results while negotiating the formation of a coalition with other political parties.
The barcodes and QR codes on ballots used for the Feb 8 election. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)
